Category: Spiritual

 

 

I was very interested recently how a very large problem between two people was made somewhat better by just a few little things. A few words here, a facial expression there, all peaceful, positive, and in the spirit of healing. In hindsight what I really witnessed was how the power of peacefulness from two people operating “independently” yet in union with the Will of God allowed the mending of ways between two others. I am beginning to realize how the concept of peacefulness can usher in the Kingdom Jesus spoke of, as I simultaneously grasp that war and violence will never get us there. Martin Luther King Jr. certainly knew this when he said:

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal

In other words, what Dr. King was saying is that you can’t reach a peaceful endpoint by any other means than peace. Any other means just produces a temporary result. So how does this work? How does my peaceful state change anything? Well, this is what came to me. A state of peace is not just about you, and how you feel. Peace is not a static condition, it is very much dynamic. It doesn’t sit still! It is a condition that emanates from the person who has achieved that peaceful status, and it can be fully felt by others. When we start to become men and women more inline with the intent of our Creator, more inline with the intent of creation others begin to notice. Many times nothing is said, but people are aware of it. It goes along the track of thinking that when someone has achieved a level of consciousness that allows them to draw more fully from the power of our Source they radiate the love of Being (you can use God if you wish), and it is something that can be felt by others. It is tangible. The neat thing is that they will have no choice in the matter. They will know that there is something different about you, and depending on the evolution of the consciousness of the person that may bring them great comfort or great fear. The same people who would argue whole heartedly against the existence of any “non-material” entity, or the presence of “good vibes” will know that something has come upon them, and that it came from you. In the end they might call it “their gut instinct”, which is actually true, they would just deny that the instinct was caused by the presence of Being radiating from you. They would rather attribute it to their own good judgment of people. However, no matter the understanding of the source of the connection, the communication line is now open for great things to happen. OK, so maybe sometimes these are just small steps forward, but as A Course in Miracles says “there is no order of magnitude in miracles!”

As I have awakened into a new understanding of life and God, I have found myself many times in territory that has been deemed taboo, or places a Christian should not go. I have positioned myself on ground which the church has deemed sand but I have found to be rock. I have pondered many of the hard questions and found new direction and reassuring answers which many times are in conflict with mainstream religion. Is it some form of arrogance that has allowed me to arrive here? No, it wasn’t that at all. This place I had arrived at was comfortable, it was peaceful, it was like home. Arrogance can’t produce that feeling, that’s not how it operates. But there was indeed something holding me up and saying “Yes! that is the way, continue forward”. I have since come to know this “something” as the Holy Spirit, the Indwelling Spirit or God in me.

A Course in Miracles speaks very simply about the Holy Spirit:

“As God communicates to the Holy Spirit in you, so does the Holy Spirit translate His communication through you so you can understand them”

“The Holy Spirit is the spirit of joy. He is the call to return with which God blessed the minds of His separated Son.”

I am also, as you will quickly come to know, very fond of Richard Rohr. In his daily devotion entitled The Indwelling Spirit on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 he writes:

“Paul understands that Jesus left us his Indwelling Spirit as a permanent, strengthening gift. So the Christ, for Paul, is not out there; the Eternal Christ is in here, inside us in the form of his Indwelling Spirit. I cannot say this strongly enough. God has implanted in us a true “homing device” that we can depend upon. Paul believes that we’ve been given a source for a true inner knowledge, which becomes a calm inner authority whereby we know spiritual things for ourselves (see 1 Corinthians 2: 1-16).”

This source is where we find the likeness of our Creator, it is where truth can be known, it is where the mind of Christ resides in us. This “God in us” is our guide, it is our homing device that will always point us toward the Will of God. It might help some to know that for me the voice of the Holy Spirit does not come from “above” but emanates from within.  “Listen” may not be the best word to use when we talk about hearing the Spirit. It might work better for some to say, stand ready to feel it, stand open to allow the Spirit to move from within you, that is how it speaks to me, not in words but in assurance.

So how do I know that I am tuned into the right station? How do I know that I am really hearing the Spirit and not just listening to my ego and allowing it to send me off on a wild goose chase. I like to say that you will know its guidance by the peace it brings. Even when the direction from the Spirit goes against what is “acceptable”, you will still have a peace in your soul. Another sure sign that you are getting the right direction will be the absolute lack of fear. You might find yourself moved by the Spirit to do something that would normally be out of your comfort zone. But, if it was truly directed by the Spirit there will be no fear associated with what you are asked to do. It will be the voice that allows your mind to open, and be set correct, allowing you to look at your fellow brother and sisters and see the God in them, as they are then able to see the same in you. When we let it arise from within it will naturally expand out to touch others as that is its nature. When the two meet, well that is when miracles happen, when mountains can be moved. That is when the Kingdom of God gets a little bit bigger, here and now.

I finally took a listen to my homing device, and the more I listen the more direction I get. This blog is a direct result of listening to that bit of me that retains the knowledge of the Will of God. It simply waits for us to awaken, to “remember”, who we are and have always been, children of God. Most of what I will write comes from a conviction of the heart that has been arrived at through the direction of the Spirit (or whatever you would like to call it). I won’t normally have a large amount of “scholarship” backing my statements and beliefs. I hope some day to have that, if indeed I find that it is helpful. My direction will come from the Holy Spirit, my homing device, and my validation will come from the peace that it brings.